Online Safety - Protecting your child

Here at Mary Exton we take every aspect of childrens' safety very seriously. In the quickly evolving world of technology and social media, online safety has never been more relevant.

Both the school and parents/guardians need to ensure all is done to make technology an enjoyable, but safe, resource for learning and playing.

How does the school cover online safety?

Quite often, the first experience the children get with many technologies is at school; it is therefore important they are taught how to use them correctly and safely. As a school, it is our duty to teach children about Online Safety discreetly in computing lessons (taught using the Herts for Learning Scheme), assemblies and also through themed days.

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What can I do at home?

Below are some links that parents/guardians can access to guide you through safely using the internet, and how to ensure the children can do the same.

The CEOP – Children Exploitation and Online Protection – website is a direct link to the police if something online needs to be reported. The CEOP symbol can be found on many websites and can be clicked to follow the link.

Cyber-bullying

Cyber bullying (also called 'online bullying') is when a person or a group of people uses the internet, email, online games or any other kind of digital technology to threaten, tease, upset or humiliate someone else.

It is anticipated that the majority of children will experience this at some point in their lives and mainly when a teenager. The following book to share with younger children has been provided by childnet.

If you feel your child is a victim of cyber bullying or another form of bullying please get in touch with school as soon as possible and we will be more than happy to discuss this and work to find a solution. 01462 456997

Children who require further advice and do not have a trusted adult can access the childline page.

Below you find appropriate film clips which are designed by CEOP for you to watch with your child. Further advice on how to get the best from these clips is found on their website here

Lee and Kim's Adventure...

Cartoon or storybook aimed at children aged 5 to 7

Lee and Kim are brother and sister. They like playing on the internet together and their favourite game is Animal Magic - your child might enjoy similar sites such as Club Penguin or Moshi Monsters.

Lee and Kim find themselves in a tricky situation and are helped by ‘Sid’ the super hero. Through Sid’s words of wisdom they learn the importance of being nice to others online, not to share personal information and who to tell if they are worried.

Before playing the cartoon or reading through the story book, tell your child that they need to try and remember Sid’s top tips, and they will get a special prize if they do (this helps them pay attention!).

Jigsaw

Film aimed at children aged 8 to 10

The film Jigsaw is a story about a young girl called Becky who likes to use social networking sites. She has her own profile where she shares information like the things she enjoys and photos of herself and her friends.

Becky has been talking to somebody who she believes to be another child. It turns out to be a man who has lied to her.

This 10 minute film shows that when you talk to people online and tell them too much about yourself, you might as well be inviting them through your front door.

Before playing this film, discuss with your child what they know about social networking sites, are they using one?

After playing Jigsaw, discuss what happened to Becky and how by taking some simple steps they can keep themselves safe online. Make sure your child knows:

How to set their profile to private.They should only talk to people they know and trust in the real world.That you are there to support them.How to report anything that upsets them.